Dating Jane

Lilly Martin Spencer is known in the realm of art history for her genre paintings that reflect 19th c. ideals about domesticity and for her being a female artist finding a niche in a male dominated arena. She was the breadwinner for her family as her husband served as a house-husband, taking care of the home and children and helping in her studio. 


However, an albeit simple portrait of a mother and child completed by the artist, it was believed, sometime around 1858 suggests there is much more to Spencer than what the historiography surrounding her advances! 


Dating Jane explores this painting, titled Jane Eleanor Sherman Lacey and Her Son Edward, in great detail. Through the book you will become emerged in mid 19th c. culture as it relates to death and dying. You will travel with me over the course of 160 years in time and 500 miles in space as I left my hometown of Roanoke, VA, to explore the Lacey's hometown of Bridgeport, CT to learn more about the subjects in the painting and how the 19th century shaped their lives. In this journey you will also uncover hidden secrets about the painting - and about Spencer's creative process!